From French patent application 2 926 410 there is already known an assembly for performing such fitting, hereinafter described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings. In these:                FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a first embodiment of that assembly;        FIG. 2 is a view in cross section identified by II-II in FIG. 1;        FIGS. 3 and 4 are views similar to FIG. 1, respectively showing a second embodiment and a third embodiment of that assembly;        FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but with an elongate member to be covered placed inside the assembly; and        FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the cores of the assembly being expelled by the sleeve.        
The assembly 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises an elastic protection sleeve 11, a tubular core 12, a film 13 with a low coefficient of friction, and an elastic ring 14 tightening the film 13 onto the external surface of the sleeve 11 in order to fasten it thereto.
The sleeve 11 is provided to cover tightly, as shown partially in FIG. 6 for the similar sleeve 311, an elongate member such as a section of electrical cable or two sections of electrical cables in order to provide electrical insulation, air-tightness and water-tightness.
The tubular core 12 serves to hold expanded the sleeve 11, that is to say in a radially dilated state relative to the state that it adopts in the absence of external load. The core 12 is thus tightly covered by the sleeve 11. The internal space of the core 12 is configured to receive internally the elongate member which must be covered by the protection sleeve 11.
The low friction coefficient film 13 is placed between the sleeve 11 and the core 12 to enable them to slide relative to each other.
The core 12 can therefore slide both relative to the elongate member placed therein and relative to the sleeve 11, so that the latter comes to tightly cover the elongate member, as explained in more detail below.
The core 12 extends beyond each of the ends 15 and 16 of the sleeve 11. The end 17 of the core 12 is relatively close to the corresponding end 16 of the sleeve 11 while the other end 18 of the core 12 is relatively far from the corresponding end 15 of the sleeve 11.
The proximity of the ends 16 and 17 is useful for starting the extraction of the core 12 in a simple and convenient way, which it is provided to be performed with the core 12 being driven relative to the sleeve 11 in the direction from the end 17 toward the end 18, as explained in more detail below.
The film 13 is placed between the elastic sleeve 11 and the core 12 over the whole length of the sleeve 11, that is to say between its ends 15 and 16. The film 13 continues slightly beyond the end 15. At the other side of the sleeve 11, the film 13 extends beyond the end 16 until it makes a half turn over the end 17 of the sleeve 12 situated in proximity to the end 16 then extends inside the core 12 to its other end 18 over which it makes a half-turn then extends outside the core 12 as far as the sleeve 11 to which it is fastened externally by the elastic ring 14
The assembly 210 shown in FIG. 3 will now be described. Generally speaking, the same reference numbers are used as for the assembly 10, but increased by 200.
In the assembly 210, the core 212, the film 213 and the elastic ring 214 are identical to the core 12, the film 13 and the ring 14, respectively.
The sleeve 211 differs from the sleeve 11 only in that it is substantially twice as long.
The assembly 210 further comprises a second tubular core 212′, a second film 213′ with a low coefficient of friction and a second elastic ring 214′ identical to the core 212, the film 213 and the ring 214, respectively.
The core 212 extends beyond the end 215 of the sleeve 211 in the same way as the core 12 extends beyond the end 15 of the sleeve 11, the end 218 of the core 212 being relatively far away from the end 215 of the sleeve 211.
The core 212′ also extends beyond the end 216 of the sleeve 211 in the same way as the core 12 extends beyond the end 15 of the sleeve 11, the end 218′ of the core 212′ being relatively far from the end 216 of the sleeve 211.
The end 212 and the core 212′ are disposed end to end, that is to say that the end 217 and the end 217′ are against each other or approximately so. It should be noted that the ends 217 and 217′ are not in direct contact, since they are respectively covered by the film 213 and by the film 213′.
The end 217 of the core 212 and the end 217′ of the core 212′ are located more or less at the center of the sleeve 211.
Generally speaking, the arrangement of the sleeve 212′, the film 213′ and the elastic ring 214′ is the mirror image of the arrangement of the core 212, the film 213 and the ring 214.
The following description in respect of the core 212, the film 213 and the ring 214 is equally valid for the core 212′, the film 213′ and the ring 214′ subject to adding a “prime” symbol to their reference numbers and replacing the end 215 of the sleeve 211 by the end 216.
The film 213 is placed between the sleeve 211 and core 212 over the whole of the length over which they are in contact, that is to say between the end 215 of the sleeve 211 and the end 217 of the core 212.
The disposition of the film 213 relative to the core 212 and the sleeve 211 between the end 217 and the ring 214 is exactly the same as the disposition of the film 13 between the end 17 and the ring 14: the film 213 makes a half-turn over the end 217 and then extends inside the core 212 as far as the end 218, over which it makes a half-turn, after which it extends outside the core 212 as far as the sleeve 211 to which it is fastened by the elastic ring 214.
The assembly 310 shown in FIG. 4 will now be described, and then, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, how the sleeve 311 of the assembly 310 is fitted onto an elongate member. It will then be explained how to fit the sleeve 211 of the assembly 210 then how to fit the sleeve 11 of the assembly 10.
Generally speaking, the same reference numbers have been used for the assembly 310 as for the assembly 210, but increased by 100.
In the assembly 310, the cores 312 and 312′, the films 313 and 313′ and the elastic rings 314 and 314′ are identical to the cores 212 and 212′, the films 213 and 213′ and the rings 214 and 214′, respectively.
The sleeve 311 differs from the sleeve 211 only in that it is longer. The description given above for the arrangement of the core 212 relative to the sleeve 211 as well as for the arrangement of the film 213 relative to the sleeve 211, the core 212 and the ring 214 is also valid for the arrangement of the core 312 relative to the sleeve 311 as well as for the arrangement of the film 313 relative to the sleeve 311, the core 312 and the ring 314, subject to adding 100 to the reference numbers of that description. Similarly, the description given above for the arrangement of the core 212′ relative to the sleeve 211 as well as for the arrangement of the film 213′ relative to the sleeve 211, the core 212′ and the ring 214′ is also valid for the arrangement of the core 312′ relative to the sleeve 311 as well as for the arrangement of the film 313′ relative to the sleeve 311, the core 312′, and the ring 314, subject to adding 100 to the reference numbers of that description.
In addition to the sleeve 311, the cores 312 and 312′, the films 313 and 313′ and the rings 314 and 314′, the assembly 310 comprises a frangible ring 220 having a cross section of substantially the same shape as the cores 312 and 312′ between and in line with which it is disposed in the manner of a spacer.
The end 317 of the core 312 is against the end of the ring 220 which can be seen on the left in FIG. 4 and the end 317′ of the core 312′ is against the end of the ring 220 which can be seen on the right in FIG. 4. It should be noted that the ends 317 and 317′ are not in direct contact with the ring 220 since the ends 317 and 317′ are respectively covered by the film 313 and by the film 313′.
The ring 220 is formed by a helical winding of a strip 221 whose edges are joined to each other in a tearable manner, one end of the strip 221 being at the end of the ring 220 that is against the core 312 (the end of the ring 220 that is seen on the left in FIG. 4), while at the other end of the ring 220 (the end seen on the right in FIG. 4), the strip 221 departs from the helical winding and extends longitudinally in the form of a strap 222 inside the ring 220 and then inside the core 312 until it projects from the end 318.
Applying traction to the end of the strap 222 that projects from the core 312 makes it possible to progressively unwind the winding that forms the ring 220, from the end seen on the right in FIG. 4 until it is completely unwound.
The ring 220 can therefore be entirely removed from the assembly 310, including when an elongate member is disposed inside the core 312 and the ring 220, as FIG. 5 shows.
In practice, the ring 220 is formed from a preexisting strip whose edges are lightly welded or the ring 220 is made from a tube on which a helical pre-cutting line is formed, the strap 222 being in one piece with the tube or attached to the material of the tube.
FIG. 5 represents an elongate member 225 inserted in the core 312, the ring 220 and the core 312′.
The member 225 is formed of two electrical cables 226 and 227 disposed end-to-end and of a splicing member 228 placed on bared end sections 229 and 230 of the cable 226 and the cable 227, respectively.
In the example shown, the cables 226 and 227 have no other accessible end sections such that one of the cables 226 and 27 was inserted into the assembly 310 first, the splicing member 228 was then fitted, and the assembly 310 was then positioned as shown in FIG. 5, that is to say with the sleeve 111 positioned longitudinally relative to the elongate member 225 at the location it is to adopt on that member.
For the sleeve 311 to cover the member 225, the end of the strap 222 that projects from the core 312 is pulled to unwind the ring 220 and extract it completely.
This enables the sleeve 311 to contract onto the elongate member 225 between the end 317 of the core 312 and the end 317′ of the core 312′, as shown in FIG. 6.
This contraction produces a thrust on the ends 317 and 317′ in reaction to which the core 312 is driven in the direction going from the end 317 to the end 318 whereas the core 312′ is driven in the direction going from the end 317′ to the end 318′. The driving movement continues until the cores 312 and 312′ are fully expelled from the sleeve 311.
The latter then tightly covers the elongate member 225, for which it provides, at and on either side of the splicing member 228, electrical insulation, air-tightness and water-tightness.
Use of the assembly 210 (FIG. 3) on an elongate member such as 225 is similar to use of the assembly 310, the only difference being that the operation that enables the sleeve 211 to contract onto the elongate member between the end 217 of the core 212 and the end 217′ of the core 212′ is not the tearing of the ring 220 but an action of moving the cores 212 and 212′ to make them slide relative to the sleeve 211 in the direction from the end 217 toward the end 218 and in the direction from the end 217′ toward the end 218′, respectively.
Use of the assembly 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) on an elongate member such as 225 is similar to use of the assembly 210, the only difference being that it is only the core 12 which is moved such that it slides relative to the sleeve 11 in the direction from the end 17 to the end 18, the sleeve 11 contracting on the elongate member progressively as the core 12 is expelled from the sleeve 11.
In a variant of the assembly 10 that is not shown, the film 13, rather than being present over the whole of the inside perimeter of the core 12, is divided between the end 17 and the end 18 into two sections each of which contracts to form a relatively narrow strip, each of the two strips making a half-turn over the end 18 and being fastened to the sleeve 11 by virtue of the elastic ring 14. The space existing between the two strips directly gives access to the core 12. The operator can thus grasp the core 12, for example to begin expelling the core 12 from the sleeve 11.
Similarly, in order for the operator to be able to grasp the cores 212 and 212′ (or 312 and 312′), it is provided in a variant not shown for the films 213 and 213′ (or 313 and 313′) each to be subdivided into two strips, as explained above for the assembly 10.
In another variant not shown, the assembly 10, 210 or 310 present in the core 12 or in the cores 212, 212′ or 312, 312′, has, in the vicinity of the end 18 or the ends 218, 218′ or 318, 318′, one or more holes enabling a hook to be put in place to pull on the core 12 or 212, 212′ or 312, 312′.